Flood-fence



(No Model.)

T. G. NICHOLS.

FLOOD PENGE.

No. 243,950. Patented July 5,1881.

S w N S D 0 I O c n 01 a Q51 w a V a n g) l a Q a I WITNESSES: INVENTOR: 2219 '7 Q ATTORNEYS.

EH5. Photolilhognpber, Wubhzton; D. Q

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. NICHOLS, OF PRINCETON, INDIANA.

FLOOD-FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,950, dated July 5, 1881.

Application filed April 20, 1881. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS C. NICHOLS, of Princeton, Gibson county, Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Flood-Fences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichc Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved flood-fence. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same withthe panels anchored to the ground, and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a modification of my invention.

My invention relates to improvements in flood-fences; and it consists of a fence pivoted at its lower endto stationary posts and adapted to be revolved so as to rest on the ground or to be revolved into a vertical position, and providedwith an upper wire serving as a latch for a catch or catches on the stationary posts, as

hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, a a represent the stationary posts of myimproved flood- 2 5 fence, which are secured in the ground, and may be fifty or sixty yards apart, and each is provided near its upper end with a catch, 1); or a catch may be applied to each intermediate post between two other stationary posts, the purpose of which willbe hereinafter explained. c c are swinging posts connected together near their lower ends by the horizontal rod 61, passing through staples e e, driven into the swinging posts, and also passing through the 3 5 staples g in the stationary posts (4, whereby the swinging posts are pivoted at their lower ends to the stationary posts, and can be revolved so as to rest upon the ground, or elevated so as to occupy a vertical position be- .40 tween and resting against the side faces of the stationary posts a.

The fence-panels may be formed by securing to the swinging posts by means of staples a series of parallel horizontal wires, h, forming 4 5 thus a wire fence, the upper wire, 2, of which serves the double purpose of afence-wire and latch by engaging with the catch 1) in the intermediate stationary post, thus holding the fence securely in a vertical position.

In lieu of forming a wire fence, the upper wire, 2', maybe secured to the swinging posts 0 by staples, and pickets be secured by staples to the upper and lower wires or I0dS,'i d, the upper rod, 7:, engaging with the catches bin the stationary posts, to hold the fence when in its elevated position. Cleats k k are secured to the lower ends of the outer stationary posts, extending laterally as far out as the outer faces of the swinging posts, to act as stops to limit the play of the latter and to prevent the swinging posts, when a wire fence is employed, from being drawn around the stationary posts in tightening the wires. When the fence has been revolved over so as to rest on the ground, a pin, preferably made of wrought-iron, with a hook on its upper end, may be driven into the ground, so that its hook engages with the upper wire, so as to anchor the fence to the ground.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modification of my invention in which the intermediate stationary post is dispensed with, and the fence-panels, formed of pickets or horizontal bars, are pivoted near their lower end by staples driven into the panels to the lower wire, which passes through holes in the stationary posts, and is provided with pins at its ends driven into the ground. A hooked pin, 1, is driven into the ground near the middle of the lower wire to hold it down.

In lieu of the intermediate stationary post, inclined braces m m are employed, lying on opposite sides of the fence, and provided near their upper ends with holes, through which the upper wire, 6, passes, and thence through staples secured to the panels, over'the tops of the stationary posts, and resting in notches or catches a in the top faces of the stationary posts,the upper rod thence proceeding at each end to the ground, to which it is anchored. In this construction it will be seen that the notches in the upper faces of the stationary post serve as catches to hold the gate in a vertical position.

In the case above described, in which a wire fence is employed, holes are bored through the end swinging posts, a, resting against the outer faces of the stationary posts, and into the latter near their upper ends, into which removable pins are inserted to more securely hold the flood-fence in position when raised, and these pins, when the fence is down, maybe employed I as handles to raise the fence.

Removable pins are also inserted in holes made partly in the side faces of the intermediate stationary post and partly in the inner faces of the swinging posts, which rest against the intermediate post.

VJ hat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a flood-fence, the combination, with a series of stationary posts, each provided with a catch near its upper end of a series of swinging fence-panels, all connected together and pivoted to the stationary posts near theirlower ends by the same rod, (Z, and all connected together near their upper ends by the same rod,

of a wire for the wire fence and a latch to en- 20 gage with the catch and hold the fence vertically substantially as described.

THOMAS GOLMAN NICHOLS. Witnesses:

' JAMES C. WILHITE,

LEWIS PFOHL. 

